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No. 483,544. PatentedOot. 4, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RAYMOND CUMMINGS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, OF SAME PLACE.

STEREO'TYPE PLATE AND BASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,544, dated October 4, 1892. Application filed January 14, 189i)- Serial No. 3361870. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN RAYMOND CUM- MINGS, of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stereotype Plates and Bases, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is, practically speaking, to dispense with the necessity of manufacturing a base of one design and a plate of another design. This tendency heretofore on the part of the manufacturers has greatly increased the cost and delayed the completion of a perfect plate and base. I avoid such objections by making a convertible plate, which may be used either as a plate or base, according to the desire of the publisher, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of my improved plate. Fig. 2 is a similar view through two of the same, showing the manner in which I use them.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a stereotype-plate which is cast of sufficient thickness to enable it to Withstand the strain to which it is subjected when printed from and which is preferably supported by a longitudinal central leg a and two side legs Z) I), the outer vertical surface of which is on the same vertical plane as, and is a downward continuation of the side edge of the said plate. The downward projection of the legs and the thickness of the plate are such that the impression-surface thereof is exactly onehalf of what is commonly known as typehigh --i. 6., the height of an ordinary print- Now in order to raise the impression-surface type-high I mount the plate it is intended to print from upon an old plate which has been used and lock them in the form. The pressure derived from the column-rules B B is then sufficient to hold the upper plate, which is being printed from, and the lower plate, which for the nonce is converted into a base, securely in place, as shown in Fig.2. It is immaterial Whether plate A, when converted into a base is placed with its impression-surface uppermost or facing downward, although for contemplated improvements I prefer it should be uppermost.

The great advantage to be derived from the use of my invention is this: In the business of manufacturing stereotype-plate mattor for newspaper publication it is customary for those in that line of business to send from time to time a quantity of bases (of a special construction different from that of the plate in conjunction with which it is used) to their patrons to take the place of those which, in order to meet the requirements of the publisher, have been cut up into such short lengths as to be an annoyance. These replaced parts of bases are returned to the stereotyper and are melted and recast.

In using my invention as herein described every new batch of stereotype-plate sent is practically a fresh lot of bases, from which the publisher replaces his cut-up stock of bases ad libitum, thus avoiding the necessity for special machinery and the extra labor involved in making bases to the stereotyper, and assuring the publisher of a constant source of supply from which to draw his bases.

I do not wish to be restricted to the use of a plate having the legs, as hereinbefore described, (although I prefer their use,) because it is obvious they could be made solid or of a different construction.

It is obvious that the object which I have in view in the construction of my improved plate and base, as hereinbefore described, will also be accomplished (although at a slightly-greater expense) if I should make the plates of such thickness that three of them or four or more of them when placed one upon the other would make the impressionsurface of the plate it was intended to print from just type-high. I therefore wish to be understood as considering such construction as coming within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as new is- A stereotype-plate having an impressionsurface on its upper side made of such thickness that when several of them are mounted one above the other, so that their longitudinal side edges are bounded by the same vertical planes, the impression-surface of the uppermost plate will be just type-high.

JOHN RAYMOND CUMMINGS.

Witnesses P. B. COOLIDGE, F. D. THOMASON. 

